Baking has been a passion of mine from the time I was old enough to pull a kitchen chair up to the counter and help my mother crack eggs into the mixing bowl. As a teenager, I dreamed of owning a bakery someday. Instead of culinary school, I decided to take the management route and attended Iowa State University, obtaining a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. I worked in management in several fine dining restaurants and steak houses in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, before becoming a wife and mother of four children.

Being an active-duty military family for 16 years was not ideal for starting a bakery business, so my dream was put on the back burner for many years, yet always in the back of my mind. Fast forward to August 2021. My family’s life turned upside down when my husband contracted Covid-19 and passed away three weeks later. I had one child in the Marine Corps, one in college, and two children still at home. His passing changed my world and left me in an unplanned and unintended new path that no one wants to take. Those next two years had some very painful moments. But I realized that that’s all they are in time—moments. Joy persists. Hope endures. God has been so faithful, and I’ve learned to lean on and trust Him through life’s joys and pains.

So, I began to rebuild my life, and suddenly in the process, owning a bakery from home started shifting from a dream to a reality. I finally decided to make the jump from wishing to doing. Now I was ready to bloom.

Bakers spread joy into the lives of others through our treats, whether it’s a cause to celebrate, a time to remember, a gesture of friendship, or just because it’s Tuesday. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your celebration!